Nonprofit organizations tirelessly build corporate support through comprehensive Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs. These programs are a fusion of initiatives ranging from corporate contributions through foundations to employee-driven philanthropy, including matching gifts, volunteer grants, and skills-based volunteering.
CSR programs are deeply integrated with each corporation's mission, reflecting their core values and business objectives. Shifts in social, environmental, and governance priorities may influence funding directions, but strong donor relationships can maintain long-term support despite these changes.
Let's look at five modern strategies for nurturing corporate campaign donors into dedicated supporters (no matter their workplace):
1. Showcase your workplace donors’ through Digital Storytelling
To cultivate dedicated supporters, it's important to understand why your donors give or volunteer with your organization. Their motivations reflect their affinity for your cause. By showcasing their passions, you not only express gratitude for their support but also demonstrate the worthiness of your mission. This can even attract new donors.
Collaborate with your corporate partners to survey your workplace donors and gain insights into their affinities. This survey will not only benefit your organization but also provide valuable information for your corporate partners. With this knowledge, you can personalize your communications and outreach to better engage your donors. Additionally, your corporate partners can use this information to refine their employee giving program and enhance engagement. With the permission of your donors, you can share this information on your website, social media platforms, or workplace giving platform.
Here are some survey questions to include:
- How did you find out about our organization?
- Why do you donate to our organization?
- Have you, a family member, or friend received services from our organization?
- What is your specific interest around our cause?
- How do you participate with our cause?
- What is most important to you regarding our cause?
How can you showcase your survey results?
Within StratusLIVE Ignite Give at Work, workplace giving solution, campaign administrators can include an employee spotlight. This spotlight can include photographs of your workplace donor participating with your cause and an interview with him or her. This spotlight customizes your workplace giving solution for each corporate partner while it highlights your individual donor relationships.
2. Donor-Directed Impact
In today’s workplace, donors demand choice in supporting the causes, funds, and agencies most important to them. According to America’s Charities, 76% of donors they surveyed said that “the ability to choose what cause they give to is imperative.”
Offer your donors the option to direct their gifts toward specific causes or programs within your organization through thoughtful designations. This approach allows supporters to allocate their contributions to the areas they feel most connected with, fostering a deeper engagement and long-term commitment to your mission.
Imagine the insights gained when you discover that initiatives for children and families resonate most with your community. This could inspire your team to organize events highlighting the impact in these areas, launch a dedicated giving day to support the cause, or develop content that showcases the achievements of these programs.
Incorporate these designations into both workplace giving platforms and general donation forms, allowing donors to tailor their giving experience. This not only enhances their connection but also reinforces their ongoing involvement with your mission, setting the stage for a partnership that drives real change.
3. Automate Gift Matching
Matching gift programs are a tremendous opportunity to engage your workplace donors and increase their contributions. By promoting matching gift programs, your organization incentivizes giving. According to Double the Donation, “84% of survey participants say they’re more likely to donate if a match is offered.”
Matching gift policies vary widely among corporations. Some may set a minimum donation threshold for eligibility, while others offer generous multipliers on the original donation amount, effectively doubling or even tripling the impact of a gift. There might also be annual limits on how much a company will match per employee or restrictions on the types of organizations eligible for matching funds.
Despite the diversity in these policies, it's crucial for nonprofits to harness the potential of matching gifts as a vital stream of revenue. Encourage your supporters to check if their employers offer a matching gift program through prompts on your website, in donation processes, and within your outreach materials. To stay ahead in the competitive landscape of corporate social responsibility (CSR) technologies, incorporating an automated matching feature into your workplace giving platforms can simplify the process for your donors, ensuring they effortlessly maximize their contributions without overlooking the opportunity to double their impact.
An automated match provides your workplace donors with an easy, impactful giving experience. This positive experience will encourage their continued giving to your organization.
4. Provide Donor Autonomy
Donors desire the ability to interact with the causes they are passionate about, as well as seek the convenience to support and engage on their own terms. Self-service technology empowers them with this autonomy, enabling active participation in your organization's journey with little to no external help.
Seeing the direct effects of their contributions and keeping up with the latest news from your organization strengthens their connection to your cause. This not only enhances their pride in being philanthropists but also fosters deeper engagement.
Important self-service functionality includes:
- Ability to update communication preferences
- Pause, stop, or change the amount of pledges
- View lifetime giving data
- Print tax receipts
- View volunteer commitments
- Follow favorite causes and programs
All this data within a personal donor app such as Donor Hub serves as a permanent reminder of the impact of your donors’ contributions. This history compels them to continue their support – no matter their workplace.
Your organization also benefits from this self-service technology as your teams no longer need to update pledges or donor records on behalf of your donors. The records remain current, so you do not utilize bad data. Furthermore, your organization retains these donors within your system, so you can communicate with them throughout their lifetime.
5. Community Building through affinity groups.
Affinity groups or donor networks bring together individuals with shared interests or backgrounds, driving them to support causes close to their hearts. Being part of such groups creates a strong sense of community and identity, making donors feel recognized and motivated to contribute towards a more inclusive and fair future. These groups also provide valuable networking opportunities that can advance their professional lives.
Your organization has the potential to become a trusted space where these donors can gather to discuss significant and relevant topics. They see your organization as a champion for their values. This relationship leads to more profound engagement with your cause, reflected in higher donations, consistent support, and advocacy within their circles.
Examples of affinity groups to offer include:
- Young Leaders (individuals in their 20s, 30s, or 40s)
- Planned Giving Societies (individuals who include your organization in their estate plan)
- Women Groups
- Diverse Leaders
You could also create affinity groups based upon a profession (technology or creative professionals) or common cause interest (environmental justice). Each group should have a minimum contribution threshold to join.
How can your workplace giving technology support your affinity groups?
Donation pages on your workplace giving platform can promote donors’ involvement with an affinity group based upon their contribution amount. For example, if a donor enters a gift amount that would qualify her for a ‘Women for Change’ affinity group, your system can automatically ask if she’d like to join. This makes it easier for your donors to increase their involvement with your cause.
A CSR program serves as a gateway to connect with your workplace donors. By showcasing and highlighting your workplace donors, providing them with options to direct their contributions, and implementing automated matching, you nurture their commitment to your cause. Moreover, by offering self-service technology and fostering a sense of community through affinity groups, these donors will continue to be dedicated to your mission, regardless of where they work.
